This invention relates generally to solar energy collectors and, more particularly to a new and useful flat solar energy collector having a novel construction.
Solar energy collectors have become increasingly popular in recent years in an effort to harness the substantially unlimited and free source of energy provided by the sun, especially in view of the shortages and ever-increasing costs of conventional energy sources, such as fossil fuels, for example. Conventional solar collectors usually include a rigid enclosure for housing a metallic heat absorbing plate provided with fluid conveying conduits and supported on heat insulating material. The open end of the enclosure is covered by at least one glazing panel, which may be optically transparent glass or plastic, and which is rigidly secured in place by angled brackets or other retaining elements.
One problem encountered with such known collectors is the difficulty in removing these retaining elements when necessary to gain access into the collector unit for repair, removal and/or replacement of damaged glazing panels as well as other components located therewithin. Moreover, the retaining elements frequently are broken or otherwise damaged during removal, requiring their replacement when reassembling the collector unit.